Soft cylindrical torque tool for medical devices with lumen

Abstract

The present disclosure is related to a device for gripping catheters that are used in interventional cardiac procedures without causing internal catheter damage. The present disclosure will allow the operator to maintain improved stability and maneuverability compared with current approaches, including, primarily, digital manipulation, which can lead to fatigue, instability and inappropriate catheter movement. Specifically in the pediatric population where small movements can lead to severe and permanent complications, the present disclosure has the potential to increase the safety profile of already high-risk interventional catheterization and electrophysiology procedures.

The invention claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus for controlling a cylindrical medical device, comprising:
 a bottom component having a curved outer surface forming a body of the bottom component, a working channel, and one or more fingers comprising a sliding track, each of the one or more fingers having a top surface, a side surface, and a bottom surface; and   a top component having one or more slots corresponding to the one or more fingers comprising the sliding track, the top component being slidable along the sliding track, wherein   the top component, upon being slid along the sliding track from a rearward end of the apparatus to a forward end of the apparatus, is frictionally engaged with the cylindrical medical device, said cylindrical medical device being secured therein,   the top component includes an engaging surface, said engaging surface defining an engaging aspect of the top component, said engaging aspect having a curved shape along a cross section perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the top component, and   a surface of the working channel of the bottom component defines a working channel feature, said working channel feature being a depression having a curved shape along a cross section,   wherein the engaging aspect is a depression having the curved shape along the cross section.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the surface of the working channel is covered with an elastomer. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein a bottom surface of the top component is covered with an elastomer. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein an external surface of the bottom component is covered with an elastomer. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein, during sliding of the top component along the sliding track from the rearward end of the apparatus to the forward end of the apparatus, torque is transferred to the cylindrical medical device in a 1:1 relationship.